SHAWN TURI
Shawn is the host of a poetry reading at Book Connection in Long Beach. She has also lead several poetry workshops in a few elementary and middle schools in Long Beach. She has been and continues to be mentored and tutored by some of the best voices in poetry. As a poet, albeit a new one, her words are...thoughtful and sincere and if for now, her poetry does not hold your attention, her voice certainly does.

ROXANA TAGHAVI
is as old as many of the people in her poems, and there are many --ranging from babies to bricklayers to bald old men. She loves feeling warm, living in Venice, and riding her bike with headphones on. One of the strangest things she has is a law degree. Her greatest hope is to never fully return from her travels abroad, which have included Iceland, London, Brazil and, most recently, Iran.

ANNIE GHOLSEN,
19, lives in Long Beach with a tremendous love of art in any form. Amongst her many adorations are writing, anthropology, and creating music. Currently she dreams of traveling, and exploring all depths of humanity. She's wondered and delighted at the world of poetry that she's part of, and wishes to continue in hopes of creating a more diverse, dream-fulfilling, and thriving community in this mysterious network.

MAGGIE WELLS
teaches, markets and loves to throw strange parties for happy people. She was born and raised by Mormons in an undisclosed location, has a bachelor of arts and is currently working on being bicoastal. She loves dressing fancy, and not watching television. Visit her at:www.pinkblood.com.

HEATHER MAIDAT
has written for television shows like Girls Behaving Badly, Shipmates and History IQ as well as MTV specials, and a show called Yoga-on-Demand. She’s been published on Freshyarn.com,Blacktable.com, Girlcomic.net and in the Indie rock Guide to Dating.


SPECIAL GUEST TRAVELING POETS

JACOB GRAY
Born in San Antonio, TX, he is currently traveling in support of his new book of poems called Sad Height. He is 21, hispanic, and enjoys writing, open roads, and good driving music, otherwise, he'd fall asleep at the wheel.

COREY FROST:
writes about travel, ethics, and bad grammar; when he's not writing about those things he tries to practice them. He has performed in cities across North America, Europe, and Australia. He is the author of the books "My Own Devices" and "The Worthwhile Flux," and of the CD "Bits World: Exciting Version."

GENEVIEVE MCCLEAN
is a poet, performer, singer, actor, and video artist from Auckland, New Zealand, where she is well-known for her various film roles. Her performances combine linguistically inventive, rhythmic texts, influenced by both LANGUAGE poetry and hip-hop, with a theatrical instinct and an amazing voice.